A Day Like No Other
by Jonchp99
Summary: Jon experiences a day that starts out like any ordinary day, but ends as a day he will never forget.
1. Chapter 1

A Day Like No Other

"You got any plans for your birthday tomorrow, Jon?" Officer Frank Poncherello asked his partner as they sat on their motors waiting for the traffic lights to change. They were heading to Central for morning briefing.

"Nah, nothing at this stage Ponch," Jon Baker replied, flicking a stray insect off his windshield. "If Cassy's feeling up to it, we'll probably just go out for dinner."

"Cassy's not well?" Ponch inquired.

Jon slipped his motor into gear and took off. "Yes and no. Generally she's been well with the pregnancy and all but last night she was so restless. She couldn't get comfortable and her back ached all night."

"And you look like you didn't get much sleep either," Ponch commented.

"True," Jon agreed. "Every time she moved I woke up. In the end Cassy suggested I go sleep in the spare bed or else I wouldn't have a hope of functioning today."

"Think of it as a trial run, for when the baby's born. How long to go now, two or three weeks?"

"Just two weeks, but she could go into labour any time soon."

Ponch grinned. "Hey that reminds me, you got a ticket in Grossie's baby pool yet?"

"I've been trying to avoid him," he replied. "It doesn't seem right having a ticket for when my own baby is born."

Ponch chuckled. "It's all in good fun, I've got two."

"Yeah I know, but Grossie takes his pools so damn seriously; I just figured it'd be best to stay out of this one. What did you take?"

"Two days before D day with a boy and two days after with a boy."

Jon looked at him confused. "What the heck is D day Ponch?"

"Delivery day," he answered. "Apparently Grossie got the due date from Cassy and went from there. He's got a spread of two weeks either side with both boy and girl."

Jon shook his head. "He's nothing if not thorough, is our Grossie."

"Yep," Ponch agreed.

In the middle of an unusually long heatwave, this Thursday in early August was shaping up as the hottest day yet. Already the early morning sun was beating down creating a shimmering haze along the freeways. Under the cloudless Southern Californian sky traffic was backing up, cars were overheating and motorists impatient with delays were beeping their horns. Frustrated Highway Patrol personal knew it was going be another long day.

The partners turned into Central's back gates. They parked their motors and headed inside relieved to be out of the heat even if just for a short time.

Jon placed his helmet and baton on the table and sat down, glad for the chance to have a break while he waited for briefing to begin. He wanted nothing more than to put his head down and sleep; a total of four hours sleep on a hot August night was not the correct way to start the day. He resisted the urge, leaning back in his chair instead and that's when he saw him, Artie Grossman heading straight for him, clip board in hand.

"Jon," Grossie grinned, standing in front of him. "I've finally caught up with you." He put the clip board down and opened it up. "There's not many tickets left so you'd better pick one today."

"Grossie..."

"I'm not taking no for an answer Jon. What sort of pool would this be without the baby's father in it?"

"He's got a point Jon," Ponch said as he sat down beside his partner. "You don't want the little tyke to have his feelings hurt, do ya?"

"And what makes you so sure it's gonna be a boy?" Jon asked, his deep blue eyes staring at his best friend.

"Coz I've got my money on it being a boy, that's why," he declared as he pulled two tickets out of his pocket.

Jon sighed. Knowing the only way they were going to let up was by him taking a damn ticket, he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "Okay Grossie, you win. What's left?"

Grossie frowned as he flicked through his papers. "Actually less than I thought. You've got today with either girl or boy or two weeks past D day with a boy."

Jon took a dollar out of his wallet, pondering he looked from Ponch to Grossie. "Seeing my partner is so sure it's a boy I'll take the girl."

Taking Jon's dollar note, Grossie wrote down his pick. "Jon, August 7th, girl," he stated and handed him his ticket. Happy, he grinned before going on his way to look for someone to take the last two spots.

Ponch looked at his partner as Jon put his wallet away. "Do you know something we don't?"

Jon shook his head in despair. "No Ponch, I don't. That's why I didn't want a damn ticket in the first place, whatever I picked you'd all be thinking that I know what we're having and I don't. I took the girl because you had the boy. End of story."

Ponch grinned as he patted him on the shoulder. "Just checking partner, just checking."

Sgt Joe Getraer appeared and briefing was soon underway. It was all pretty routine stuff, look out for joy riders, road works on the San Diego Freeway and be aware of hitch hikers.

Joe closed his folder. "Okay people hit the bricks and stay cool as it's gonna be another hot one out there today. Poncherello and Baker can I see you two?"

Jon and Ponch approached the podium and wondered what they'd done as nothing came to mind.

The sergeant grinned. "Relax fellows; it's nothing that you've done. As you know the trial for Mark Smith and Steven Williams started on Monday, and as we suspected their lawyers are pinning most of the blame for locking you two up on the deceased man, Ricky Punter. The trail has moved along faster than we thought and they might need you today Frank to give your evidence. The DA will see you the minute you get to court to go over your statement."

"Today?" Ponch looked worried. "I wasn't expecting to go in until next week."

"I know," Joe said. "But you're ready, aren't you?"

"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be," Ponch answered. "At least we'll get to spend all day in an air conditioned court room. That's a plus."

"You will but I'm afraid I need you out on the roads Jon. I'm down two officers already and can't afford to have two more sitting in a court room."

"But Sarge," Ponch protested. "We've both got to be there to see those two scum bags go down."

"It's okay Ponch," Jon said. He placed a calming hand on his partner's arm. "The trial won't be over today and as long as one of us is there to see justice done, that's all that matters."

Joe looked at him closely. "It's a shame you can't go with Frank, you look like you could do with an easy day."

"I don't look that bad, do I?" Jon frowned. A professional appearance was very important to him. "Cassy had a bad night and I just didn't get much sleep."

"Don't worry, you look fine." Joe patted him on the shoulder. "There's no problem with Cassy, I hope?"

"I don't think so, she just couldn't get comfortable and her back was sore."

Joe smiled knowingly. "I think that baby of yours might be closer than you think."

"She's still got two weeks till her due date," Jon informed him.

"Babies never came when they're expected. Remember when Betty was having Christopher and how many false trips she had to the hospital? I lost count in the end."

"Oh yeah that's right and Grossie even had a pool going on that too."

Joe shook his head. "Ah Grossman and his pools, no matter how many times I tell him no betting in the station he keeps on running them." Seeing the startled looks on their faces he chuckled. "Don't worry I know all about his latest one, I've got a couple of tickets."

"What did you take Sarge, a boy?" asked Ponch, elbowing Jon in the ribs.

"I covered my bases and took one of each." He pulled out his tickets. "Let's see, four days before D day, so you'd better tell Cassy to hang on."

"Well, it might as well be you winning, as I've got no hope with the ticket I've got," Jon said, nudging Ponch back.

"Don't tell me Grossman finally wore you down to take a ticket?" Joe looked surprised.

"Yep, I couldn't take it anymore. I've got today and a _girl_ ," he replied with an emphasis on girl.

Joe chuckled. "Stranger things have happened Jon." He glanced at his watch. "You'd better get going Frank; they'll be waiting for you."

"On my way Sarge," he grinned.

The partners headed out to their motors and flinched when they stepped outside. It was still morning but they could feel the heat of the day already as the sun bore down on them. They knew it was going to be another scorcher of a day.

They rode out and travelled some distance together before Ponch turned off to go to court, while Jon headed for the Santa Monica Freeway praying for a quiet day.

Taking the next on ramp, Jon turned onto the freeway and saw straight away that his day was going to be anything but quiet. Bumper to bumper traffic sprawled out in front of him crawling along at not much more than a snail's pace. Getting in amongst the congestion he weaved his way through to try to find the cause of the slowdown.

It didn't take long. About two minutes later he came across a typical fender bender which blocked two lanes of the freeway. Two cars, one a red Corolla hatchback and the other a blue Ford Falcon, were twisted sideways across the road, their occupants still sitting inside the vehicles.

Jon picked up his radio mic. "LA 15 7 Mary 3, 11-85 required Santa Monica Freeway east of Westport off ramp, two car pileup. Backup required."

"Attention all units, assistance required for two car pileup, Santa Monica Freeway east of Westport off ramp, 7 Mary 3 in attendance."

"LA 15 7 Mary 5 ETA five minutes"

"LA 15 7 Charles ETA six minutes"

Jon took off his helmet and glasses and made his way over to the cars to check on the occupants. He tapped on the window of the hatchback and indicated to the driver to turn the engine off.

She looked up in surprise at the sudden appearance of an officer and wound down her window. "Why hello officer," she smiled. "What can I do for you today?"

"Yes hello ma'am," Jon said politely, as he leant down to look through the window. "Can I get you to turn your engine off please?"

"Oh," she said, shocked. "Is it still on?"

"Yes ma'am."

She reached down to find the key and switched it off; she looked back at Jon with tears in her eyes. "I think I've had an accident," she cried, all of a sudden realizing that she was in her car stuck in the middle of a busy freeway.

"Yes you have," Jon said softly, his heart going out to the frail looking woman sitting in the car. Grey hair, plenty of wrinkles and blue rimmed glasses, she looked to be at least seventy Jon thought. "Are you hurt, ma'am?"

"No," she answered, her voice shaky.

"Can you stay in the car for me?" he asked. "I need to check on the other driver."

She nodded.

Jon hurried over to the Falcon; he tapped on the window and was surprised to find another elderly woman very similar in appearance to the first driver.

She wound down her window straight away. "Good morning Officer," she smiled at him. "Rather warm today, isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am, it is," agreed Jon. He stared at her and realized that not only was she similar in appearance but could actually be the other woman's twin. He shook his head wondering exactly what had happened here. "Are you hurt at all?" he opened up the door.

"Oh no Officer, I'm fine. We're on our way to bingo."

"We?" he bent down, peered into the car but could only see this one woman.

"Yes Officer, my sister and I. We always go to bingo on Thursday."

"Does your sister drive a red hatchback?"

"Yes Officer, she does. How did you know that?"

"She's sitting in her car about ten feet behind us," Jon explained. "You've both been in an accident."

"Oh," she exclaimed. "I felt a bump and heard a bang, and then spun about a bit. Was that my sister who did that?"

"Yes," Jon nodded. "It was."

The woman grinned. "And she wonders why I don't like to drive anywhere with her. She's not the best of drivers you know."

"And so you drive to bingo in separate cars?" Jon asked as he helped her out. Grossie had arrived and was directing the traffic, and a tow truck could be seen further down the freeway.

"Yes, we do."

Jon helped her over to the shoulder of the freeway and sat her down on the guard rail before going back to her sister. He opened the door and leant down to peer at her. "Are you able to get out of the car?" he asked, softly. "Your sister is waiting for you."

"That was my sister I hit, wasn't it?" She trembled.

"Yes, but she's fine," Jon reassured her. "She's waiting for you," he repeated.

"Really?" She stared at him, eyes still glistening with tears.

"Yes really. C'mon it's getting hot in here. You'll feel better once you're out of the car," Jon urged, taking hold of her hand.

She nodded and let Jon help her out of the car and allowed him to assist her to where her sister was waiting. They hugged one another and began talking at hundred miles an hour, apologizing and making sure each other was all right.

Jon waved the tow truck driver into position as Bonnie Clark pulled up in her cruiser. The Falcon was secured to the truck and cleared from the freeway. Jon and the driver were then able to push the hatchback off to one side, allowing Grossie to direct the traffic back into the unblocked lanes.

Bonnie was getting the full story from the ladies when Jon returned to them. "Everything all right here?" he asked, as he wiped the sweat from his brow. After the exertion with the car coupled with the heat of the morning, Jon was sweating all over and would have given anything at that moment for a nice long cold shower.

"Everything is just fine, thank you Officer," answered Margie the driver of the Falcon. "This lovely young lady has been looking after us."

Jon grinned. "Yes, Officer Clark is one of our best and she'll be taking you home. Now if you ladies will excuse me, I need to get back to traffic duty."

They nodded and watched as he went to help Grossie direct the traffic.

With the traffic now flowing freely, Jon and Grossie were able to finish up and head off. Grossie took the next off ramp while Jon continued up the Santa Monica. Feeling the wind in his face as he picked up speed, Jon began to feel human again but knew it would be short lived. With every minute that passed the day was getting hotter, the sun having long burned off any of the small white fluffy clouds that dared to appear.

As he rode along his thoughts turned to other matters. The restless night that Cassy had and Ponch sitting in that court room, that lovely cool court room waiting to give his evidence. While Jon envied him not being out in the heat, he also knew that the day wasn't going to be easy on his partner. Reliving the nightmare of being imprisoned in that shipping container back in January wouldn't be pleasant, and Jon wished he could be there to support him. Having very little memory of it himself, and thankful for that, he wasn't needed to give evidence. But he still would have liked to be there and he wondered how Ponch was getting on.

Jon felt parched so he took the next off ramp and pulled into a gas station, where he brought a soda and a large bottle of water to put in his saddle bag. Propped up against his motor he drank the soda in almost one go, immediately relieving his thirst. If only it was that easy to fix his fatigue, he'd be a happy man.

He spotted a payphone so he dug around in his pocket, with change in hand he headed for the phone. There was one person that he could stop wondering about, his wife. Jon dialled the number for home and waited for Cassy to pick up, and waited. No answer. He let the phone ring out and dialled again, concern etched on his face when she still didn't answer. Jon looked at his watch and saw that it was close to 11am. Plenty of time for her to be up and about he thought, and he knew she wasn't planning on going out today as it was just too hot when you're eight and a half months pregnant. So where the heck was she?

There was only one way to find out, go check on her. Jon mounted his motor and headed for home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Cassandra Baker woke that morning to an empty bed. She sat up, not yet fully awake, and looked around for her husband. She remembered that she'd urged him to hop into the spare bed so that he could get some sleep; she sank back down on her pillow and closed her eyes.

Awake for the second time, Cassy felt anything but refreshed. That had been one of the worst nights of sleep she could ever remember. She'd tossed and turned unable to get comfortable and poor Jon had suffered along with her, waking every time she turned from one side to the other. She hoped that he'd managed to get some sleep in the spare bed. Cassy glanced at the clock radio on the bed side table and saw that it was after 8am, and she realized that Jon would have headed off to work by now.

She stared at the ceiling as she ran her hands over her swollen stomach, which felt huge even though everyone kept telling her that she hadn't gotten that big at all. Especially Jon who never failed to tell her how beautiful she was and she didn't know why, as she felt like a whale, a big, fat, beached whale. She felt the baby move and smiled.

Cassy felt the ache in her back that had bothered her all night so she turned on her side, that didn't help so she decided the best thing would be to get out of bed. After a trip to the bathroom, she wandered down the hall to the baby's room, which never failed to put a smile on her face.

She leant against the door, hands caressing her tummy as the baby moved again and looked around the room. The walls were painted in a pale lemon colour with the trims a darker glossier lemon, much to Ponch's disgust Cassy remembered with a grin, he'd had a fixation on painting everything in shades of blue that weekend he'd helped them paint. The wallpaper frieze around the walls was Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and friends, and even Ponch agreed that was perfect for either sex. He was going to be so disappointed if this baby wasn't a boy. The crib was in one corner ready to go, while the chest of drawers was filled with singlets, booties, body suits, towels, blankets and of course plenty of diapers. All that was needed now was the baby.

Cassy left the room and wandered down to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. Not really sure what she wanted, if anything at all, she finally decided on a yoghurt, strawberry flavoured. With spoon in hand she sat down at the table, and noticed the bowl with its half eaten corn flakes and mug of now cold coffee only half drank still sitting there. Cassy frowned, poor Jon must have rushed out of here in a complete dither not finishing his breakfast like that, and it was all her fault.

After her yoghurt was finished Cassy headed out to the back veranda and sat down on the porch swing. She and Jon both loved the swing, it'd been a house warming present from everyone at Central, and they'd spent many an evening just sitting out there, relaxing, talking and making plans for their new home.

They'd been so lucky to find this place in the quiet, tree lined cul-de-sac. The cream weather board house with dark green trimmings and tiled roof begged them to fall in love with it, and they did the moment they stepped inside. It wasn't huge by any means, three bedrooms, large kitchen cum dining room and a good sized living room, but it had character with its wooden floor boards and stained glass windows in the bathroom. Most importantly it was big enough for their expanding family and it had a decent sized back yard.

She closed her eyes, the gentle rocking of the swing was soothing and Cassy dozed off. It was warm outside but under the cover of the veranda, and with a gentle breeze blowing through the yard it was certainly bearable. She woke several minutes' later, shifted position to lay down on the swing and fell into a much deeper sleep.

Cassy stirred and woke up a few hours later drenched in sweat. Her hair clung to her head in unsightly tangles and her pyjamas were stuck to her skin. She felt awful. Now much hotter than it was before, she felt physically sick. Cassy managed to stagger off the veranda before vomiting in the back yard. Her breathing was rapid, tears slid down her face and it took a tremendous effort to get back inside where she switched the fan on. With the cool breeze blowing over her and many deep breaths, her breathing returned to its normal rate and her racing heart slowed but boy she smelt. Vomit clung to her hair and she could taste it in her mouth. She headed for the bathroom as fast as her unsteady legs would allow. Turning the taps on full force, Cassy stripped her clothes off and stepped into the shower, letting the water cascade over her she stood there eyes closed and didn't hear the phone as it kept ringing.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Half way home Jon realized that there were any number of reasons that Cassy didn't answer the phone. She may have gone next door or just gone for a walk to ease the ache in her back. He was pondering whether or not to continue on when his radio made the decision for him.

"Attention all units, 11-80 on the 405 north from Wilshire Boulevard, responding units please identify."

Jon didn't hesitate. "LA 7 Mary 3 responding." He turned around; going up Venice Boulevard he took the next on ramp back onto the Santa Monica and headed for the 405.

Turning onto the 405 from the interchange, Jon assumed the accident up ahead was serious. The traffic had ground to a halt, motorists were angrily beeping their horns, and tempers had reached boiling point in the heat of the day. He weaved through the assortment of vehicles, arrived at the scene and stared at the chaos in front of him.

There was a giant pile of twisted metal in the middle of the freeway, spread across all lanes. On closer look Jon realized the twisted pile was in fact a semi trailer, rolled on its side with its load of agricultural machinery and equipment spilling out in all directions. A quick count revealed at least eight cars caught up in the mess and many more involved in the chain reaction further down the freeway.

There was only one other police unit at the scene, Santa Monica Police, along with a fire truck, but Jon could hear sirens indicating that many more were on their way. The clamour and commotion around him was overwhelming; car horns stuck were blaring incessantly, people roamed in shock waiting for someone to tell them what to do, while others were still in their cars too shunned to move. Under the glaring sun, car fumes could be smelt along with burning rubber and the unmistakable smell of death. Jon parked his motor on the shoulder of the freeway and picked up his radio mic.

"LA 15 7 Mary 3 10-97(arrived at scene) all available units will be required, code 3."

"10-4 7 Mary 3"

All thoughts of what was happening at home vanished as Jon forged into action. He swiftly removed his helmet and glasses as he surveyed the scene, his eyes swept over the disorder with the experience of many years on the Patrol. The freeway was blocked so traffic control wasn't a priority until the semi trailer could be moved, and by the look of the mangled machinery that surrounded it that was some time away.

He bolted over to the nearest car, a blue Pontiac, which was half buried under the weight of a tractor. The tractor had rolled off the semi when it over turned and landed on the Pontiac, crushing the roof as easily as you would crush a tin can under your foot. Jon peered down at the occupant, and covered his mouth in shock. The man inside had been squashed under the tractor's rear tire, his head caved in on one side, with eyes popped out of their sockets. With a deep breath Jon moved on, there was nothing he could do.

A teenage girl barely able to stand with blood streaming down her face, whimpered. "Help me... please..." She collapsed on the ground just a few feet from Jon, who rushed forward and knelt by her side. Only about sixteen or seventeen she managed to point in the direction of the car she'd come from. "My boyfriend..." she gasped. "He's... he's trapped."

Jon held her hand and spoke in a soothing calm voice, though it wasn't at all how he felt. Hot, tired and agitated would better describe him right at that moment, but nobody would guess as he looked every bit the professional he was. "We'll help him but we need to help you first," he said.

She managed to nod as she struggled for every breath she took, the fear and horror in her eyes unmistakeable. Jon squeezed her hand. Needing to feel human contact she clung to him, afraid to let go.

Ambulances had started to arrive and paramedics were going in every direction. Jon waved the closest one over. "She's having trouble breathing," he quickly explained as they took control.

The girl refused to let go of Jon's arm and he had to pry her fingers loose. "I have to go sweetie," he said softly. "So I can help your boyfriend."

She nodded and Jon dashed over to the red sports car she had pointed to. His heart sank when he reached the convertible. The boyfriend was slumped against the driver's seat, a vacant look in his brown eyes and a trickle of blood down the side of his face. Jon guessed he was probably killed instantly when a fence post from the rear of the semi plunged into his heart. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Jon took a moment to take control of his emotions, so many deaths and such a waste of life. It didn't matter how experienced or how many accidents were attended, you weren't human if you weren't affected in some way. He took a deep breath and moved on.

The teenage girl was loaded in an ambulance and rushed away battling for life. If she survived there would be plenty of heartbreak ahead.

Slowly the chaos was being brought under control. Most of the victims had been accessed and the cars in danger of igniting had been doused in foam. The biggest concern now was clearing the freeway and getting the traffic moving again. Tow trucks had removed several cars on the perimeter of the accident and discussions were taking place on the best way to clear the mess that once was a semi trailer.

Now after 1pm Jon wandered back to his motor. He removed the bottle of water from his saddle bag and took a huge swig, some of the liquid dribbled from his mouth. He used the back of his hand to wipe it off as he leant against his motor, exhausted, and his thoughts turned to his wife.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cassy stepped out of the shower feeling much better. There was nothing like a cool refreshing shower to revitalise one's body. She dried off and wrapped a towel around her before heading for the bedroom. Clean underwear and shorts from her drawer and a tee shirt from Jon's, she was soon dressed. Stretched tight around her middle it would have to do.

She wandered down to the kitchen feeling restless so very restless. She poured a glass of water and turned the radio on; maybe some music would settle her down. Madonna's latest single blared out of the small black box sitting on the window sill and Cassy smiled. She loved Madonna's music even though Jon couldn't stand her. The song ended and her smile faded as the announcer read out an urgent traffic bulletin. _Due to a serious accident on the 405, the freeway has been closed to traffic from Santa Monica Boulevard northbound to West Sunset Boulevard. Alternate routes will be needed. We'll keep you updated. Now here's an oldie, Hotel California by the Eagles._

Cassy knew that Jon would most likely have been called to that as it was right in the middle of his normal beat. She hated it when he came home after dealing with major trauma, he was withdrawn trying to deal with what he'd witnessed, not that she blamed him of course, but she didn't like seeing him like that. And this one sounded really bad if the freeway was closed to traffic.

She drank her glass of water as she stared out the kitchen window and suddenly felt a pain surge through her stomach. Similar to the back pain she'd been having but this one definitely in her stomach, like a bad period cramp. Cassy took note of the time but didn't think too much of it until thirty minutes later when she felt another one. With her hand on her tummy she realized what was happening, she was in labour.

A red flush crept through her; no wonder she'd been feeling like she had, she'd probably started last night and didn't even know. Embarrassment quickly turned to excitement and anxiety rolled in to one, the baby was on its way but she was home alone. Momentarily she panicked, but remembering her birth classes Cassy knew she had plenty of time. She breathed deeply and thought for a moment. Having discussed this with Jon a month ago she had to call the station straight away if he wasn't around, so she picked up the phone and dialled Central's number. Knowing that Jon probably wouldn't be there, she asked to speak to Sgt Getraer instead.

"Sgt Getraer, how can I help you?" the pleasant voice asked.

"Hello Joe, its Cassy Baker. I need to get in touch with Jon but I'm guessing that he's out on the 405," she replied.

"Hi Cassy," Joe smiled at the sound of her voice. "Yeah he is," he said slightly confused. "How did you know?"

"It was on the radio that part of it was closed. It doesn't sound good."

"No it's not, probably one of the worst in a long time. I'd be out there myself if I didn't have urgent reports that need to be done."

Cassy smiled at the never ending paper work. Whether you were a sergeant or an officer, the paperwork was relentless. Though if you were Ponch you managed to avoid a lot of it, and Cassy still didn't know why Jon let him get away with it but it worked for them, so why change something that wasn't broken.

"If you could get a message to Jon to tell him to ring me at home, I'd appreciate it Joe."

"No problem I'll get straight on to it, but it may be a while before he's able to call you."

"That's okay," she said. "I've got a few hours up my sleeve."

Joe thought for a moment, he remembered the earlier conversation with Jon and the fact that Cassy rarely if ever rang Jon at work, he had to ask. "Are you in labour, Cassy?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I think so."

He grinned; maybe Jon was going to win the baby pool after all. "How far apart are you?"

"30 minutes."

"Is there anyone there with you?" he asked, concerned.

"No, there's just me at home," she answered, touched by his worry. "I've got plenty of time, haven't I?"

"Yeah of course you have, but it gets harder as you go along and I know Jon wouldn't want you there alone."

She nodded, not thinking that Joe couldn't see her. "Kellie's home today I'll give her a call, but Joe... you'll get Jon back here as quick as you can, won't you?"

"Of course, hon. He'll be there before you know it even if I have to go out there myself and get him."

"Thanks Joe," she said, and hung up the phone. Thank goodness, Jon would soon be here and they could get down to the business of having this baby. She dialled again and rang Kellie who had the day off, and thankfully was home. Several excited squeals later and she was on her way.

Cassy wandered around the house. She checked that her bag for the hospital, packed two weeks ago, was ready to go. She checked the windows making sure they were all shut; she checked the back door, anything to keep her mind off what lay ahead. While she'd been waiting for this moment the past few months, now that it was here she was apprehensive and if she was honest with herself she was scared too. She needed Jon to be here with her, now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Jon wanted nothing more than to go home. Lack of sleep, the heat, hunger and the loss of life around him had taken its toll. His uniform was ripped, he was covered in dirt and road grime, someone's blood was on him and some sticky substance, engine oil he thought, was stuck in his hair. He was exhausted.

As it wasn't in his nature to give up he kept going, he knew that most of the emergency workers were feeling the same as he was. Jon put his water bottle back in the saddle bag and headed over to the semi trailer to help with the clean up. He missed the call that came over his radio.

"LA 15 7 Mary 3 10-21A (telephone home) as soon as possible." The call was repeated when Jon or any other CHP unit at the scene didn't respond. The dispatcher knew the extent of the accident and put the message aside for the moment to try again later.

A heavy duty crane was needed to get the semi trailer back on its wheels but it was more than an hour away. Jon walked around the semi and studied the combine harvester which having slid from the flatbed was leaning precariously against the trailer, only held in place by two steel chains connected to the flatbed. From what he could gather it looked like the semi trailer had been loaded with the harvester, a large tractor with a closed in cab and plenty of miscellaneous equipment which was now spread over the freeway; steel picket fence posts, rolls of fencing wire, shovels, picks and a post hole digger.

Jon stared at the harvester and noticed that it seemed to be wavering a few feet from the ground. On closer inspection he saw that it was actually balancing on what looked like a small car. Heart in his mouth he knelt on the road and peered under the harvester, taking care not to get too close, he saw that there was a red convertible under there. It was jammed front first into the semi's over turned trailer with the harvester perched on the rear of it. Remarkably it still looked like a car, only flatter.

Heart racing Jon crawled in closer, actually under the harvester now; he could see the driver of the car slumped in her seat. Assuming she was deceased, he was stunned when her eyes fluttered. She was alive. He backed out and scrambled to his feet.

"Over here," he shouted to the nearest paramedic. "There's a car under here."

The paramedics and rescue crew raced over as Jon crawled back under. He crawled in closer to the car this time, hearing the creaks and groans of the harvester above him, Jon reached out and grabbed the door handle. Amazingly it moved. With a bit of manoeuvring he was able to get the door open, he moved in closer and placed his fingers on her neck where he felt a pulse.

She opened her eyes in shock and cried out in pain. "Help me..."

Jon found her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as he took in the situation. She was jammed in the car under the steering wheel that was pressing into her abdomen, and her legs were crushed under the dashboard that had collapsed around her. The harvester was inches above her head, any taller and she would have been killed instantly. It was a miracle that she was still alive.

She stared at Jon. "Get me out of here... please," she pleaded, a tear escaped from her eye and slid silently downwards.

"Of course we will," Jon reassured, while knowing that in all likely hood it mightn't be alive. He'd seen these types of injuries before where the victim was trapped in similar circumstances, and upon being freed their system was flooded with toxins that killed them instantly. He prayed that this wasn't going to happen here, but her injuries looked bad, really bad. There'd been enough death here today and he prayed for a miracle.

"I can't feel my legs," she cried.

"I know," Jon said softly. "They're trapped under the dashboard. What's your name?"

"Catherine," she replied gazing at the blue eyes only inches from her face. They were the bluest eyes she could ever remember seeing and they gave her hope that she was going to get out of this alive. "But most people call me Cathy," she smiled, just a tiny little smile but nevertheless a smile.

"Hi Cathy, I'm Jon. Where do you hurt the most?" he asked gently.

"My tummy's the worst where the steering wheel is but I ache all over."

"Okay." He squeezed her hand before letting it go. "I've gotta go now so we can work out how to get you out of here."

"But you'll come back, won't you?" she said, panic evident in her voice.

"Yes, I'll be back," Jon reassured her as he backed out of the small space. He stood up and quickly explained the situation to the half a dozen men surrounding the harvester, and that Cathy needed something for her pain.

One of the paramedics nodded while Jim, an experienced rescuer shook his head. "I don't understand how we missed this. She's been trapped for how long now?"

"Too long," Jon stated. "And we can't even think about freeing her until that harvester has been moved. How far away is that crane now?"

"I'll go check," called out one of the fire fighters and headed over to the fire engine.

The paramedic was ready to go in, a syringe full of morphine in his hand. He crawled in under the creaking harvester, gave Cathy a jab in the arm, accessed the situation and crawled back out. Confined places freaked him out at times and this was one of them.

He looked at Jon. "She's asking for you to go back in."

"Yeah, I told her I would."

"Better you than me, man," he uttered. "That was creepy in there. Once the morphine's kicked in she won't be feeling anything. You could just stay out here you know."

Jon shook his head. "I can't do that, someone's got to stay with her."

"You do realize that she's not likely to survive once we free her legs, don't you? If we'd gotten to her straight away she may have had a chance, but now..." He shook his head. "...the toxic build up in her system is most likely going to kill her."

"I know," Jon said quietly. "But she's scared and alone, and that's no way to spend the last hour or so of your life, is it?"

"No," the paramedic agreed. "It isn't." He patted Jon on the shoulder. "Good luck to ya."

Jon remembered the water bottle in his saddle bag; he dashed over to his motor and was just in time to hear the call.

"LA 15 7 Mary 3 10-21A as soon as possible."

He picked up the mic. "7 Mary 3 10-4"

He glanced around and spotted Bonnie heading back to her cruiser and waved her over. "I've just had a message to call home," he explained. "But I can't leave right now. Can you give Cassy a call and find out what's happening?"

"Sure," Bonnie replied, as she wiped the sweat from her face. It'd been a long, hot day and it wasn't over yet. "You don't think anything's wrong, do you?" she asked, anxiously.

"I'm not sure Bonnie," he answered honestly. He took the bottle of water out of the saddle bag. "She had a bad night last night and I'm hoping she's fine."

"Yeah, me too," Bonnie nodded. She hopped in her cruiser and headed off for the nearest pay phone.

Jon ran back and prayed that everything was all right at home. Home, if she was home there couldn't be too much wrong, could there? He took a deep breath to steady him before crawling back in under the harvester, water bottle in one hand.

Cathy opened her eyes when she heard him return. "I thought you'd forgotten me," she said softly.

Jon smiled. "Of course not, I said I'd be back, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did."

"Has the morphine kicked in?" he asked, and knelt next to her in the confined area.

"Yeah, it has," she answered, her voice surprisingly strong.

"Good," Jon said, and held the bottle to her parched mouth allowing her to have a much needed drink.

She looked at him gratefully. "Thanks. And thanks for coming back; I'm guessing this probably isn't in your job description."

"Oh you'd be surprised," he replied, and had a good look at her.

She was probably in her early thirties, short dark hair framed her face and large brown eyes stared at him. She was remarkably brave, not crying, not trembling, just sitting there as if she knew this might be the end and she had faith in the Lord up above. Her face was unscathed but there were several cuts along her arms weeping blood and one bigger one which looked quite deep.

"My partner and I have done a lot of things not in our job description," Jon continued, as he shifted around trying to get in a more comfortable position. He ended up sitting on the road, his back against the open car door, knees bent looking straight at her.

"Really," she said, reading the name badge she could now see on his soiled uniform. "Care to tell me some of them Officer Baker? Or can I call you Jon?"

"Please, Jon will be fine," he said warmly. "Is there someone we can call for you?"

"Yes, my husband Peter will be wondering where I've got to. I was supposed to meet him for lunch."

Jon pulled out his notebook and removed the pen from his boot to write down the number Cathy told him. He called out for someone and handed the fireman the note, explaining what it was for.

"How long is this going to take?" Cathy asked. Jon could hear a tremble in her voice.

"A while," he answered truthfully. He wasn't going to keep anything from her. "We're waiting on a heavy duty crane to arrive to left the harvester off before we can start freeing you from the car."

"Oh," she said. "I wondered what that was."

"Yeah, a combine harvester is sitting inches above you. The semi trailer rolled and you've ended up underneath its load. Do you remember what happened?"

Cathy thought for a moment. "I remember coming up next to the truck and the car in front of me started to serve over the road, and the truck tried to get out of the way and..." She sobbed and tears crept down her face.

Jon reached for her hand and held it tightly. "And you ended up here." She nodded and Jon desperately wanted to tell her that everything was going to be all right, but he couldn't as that would be a lie. Everything wasn't going to be all right.

She looked at him, sitting there on the road keeping her company in the harsh conditions; he looked tired no exhausted, uniform ripped and blood stained, face covered in dirt and grime, and something stuck in his hair. Yet his eyes still had life in them, a bit of a twinkle, and she felt a sense of peace by his presence. She knew the situation was bad, real bad, but she wasn't alone.

Jon closed his eyes for a moment, he was drained. His thoughts wondered to his partner sitting in that court room and to his wife at home. He prayed that she was all right.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

The door bell rang and Cassy waddled over to answer it, yeah waddle she thought, feeling like a penguin waddling cautiously across the ice. She opened the door to her best friend, Officer Kellie Waugh, Ponch's girlfriend of the past seven months. With her light brown hair tied back with a blue ribbon and bright hazel eyes, Kellie always looked younger than her thirty years. Dressed in a tight tank top and short denim shorts, perfect for the hot weather, Cassy was envious of her dear friend.

"Look at you," she sighed. "Nice brown legs, a flat tummy and boobs that don't look like huge rock melons."

Kellie laughed and gave her a hug as best she could considering Cassy's rather large abdomen. "Yeah but you're having a baby, and that's way better than a flat stomach any day."

"I'll remind you of that when you're pregnant and Ponch struggles to get his arms around you," Cassy said and shut the door behind them.

"Yeah when I'm at least thirty-five," Kellie grinned. "There's plenty of time for kids later."

Cassy patted her stomach. "Yeah or when you have an accident, Highway Patrolmen are potent you know," she grinned wickedly.

"Cassy," Kellie giggled, pretending to be shocked at her friend. "I wouldn't know."

"Yeah right, and I'm the Virgin Mary."

"Okay... maybe I do know."

Cassy laughed. "That's more like it. You wanna a cold drink?"

"I'm here to look after you, but yeah a drink would be nice as it's so hot out there now."

They walked through to the kitchen where it was cooler and Cassy opened the fridge. "Cola, orange juice or water?" she asked, as she took in the contents of her refrigerator.

"Orange juice, thanks," Kellie replied. She sat down at the kitchen table, and let her flip flops fall off her feet so she could tuck one leg up under her as was her usual way of sitting in a familiar place.

Cassy poured two glasses of juice and handed one to Kellie. She sat down opposite but had only taken one or two sips when she felt the recurring pain in her stomach again. She breathed deeply, a pained look on her face, until it had passed about 30 seconds later.

"Bad?" Kellie asked. She looked at her watch; it was just after 1:30pm.

"Like a bad period cramp."

"Ouch," Kellie screwed up her face, she knew all about those. "Have you rung the hospital?"

"Yeah," Cassy answered. "They said to stay home until I'm five to ten minutes apart, and I'm only 25 minutes at the moment."

"When's Jon coming home?"

"I don't know as I haven't heard from him yet," Cassy frowned. "I phoned the station just before I called you and left a message but he hasn't called back. He's out on the 405 with that bad accident."

"Yeah, I heard about that on the radio." Kellie reached out and clasped her friend's hand. "It may be a while before he can even get to a phone. Multi pile up accidents like those take a lot of time to sort out."

Cassy nodded. "Yeah I know, just as long as he's not too far away. I really need him here as I can't do this on my own." She realized what she just said and looked mortified. "Sorry Kell, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful but..."

Kellie squeezed her hand and smiled. "It's okay Cass, I understand what you mean. This is your and Jon's baby and he needs to be here with you. I'm proud to be the stand in until the cavalry arrives."

"Thanks"

"So what are we gonna do while we wait?" She giggled. "A game of Twister perhaps?"

Cassy glared. "Funny Kell, very funny. I guess we've got a bit of time up our sleeves, how about a game of Monopoly?"

"You're on."

They got the game set up on the kitchen table; Kellie took the car token while Cassy was the top hat. Kellie elected herself banker by reasoning that she wouldn't be stopping every 20 minutes or so when another contraction hit. Money was handed out and with the game underway; Cassy was in jail when the next contraction struck her, this one stronger than the last. She took deep breaths while Kellie held her hand; she was just about through when the phone rang.

Cassy nodded that it was finished, which allowed Kellie to jump up and answer it.

"Hello, Kellie speaking," she said. Kellie expected it to be Jon on the other end, so it was something of a surprise when she heard the female voice.

Just as surprised Bonnie spoke quickly and Kellie could hear the worry in her voice. "Kellie, this is Bonnie. Is Cassy all right? Jon had a message to call her."

"She's fine," Kellie reassured. "She's in labour, that's all," she added calmly as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"What?" Bonnie exclaimed through the phone. "She's not due for another two weeks."

"Yeah I know, but this baby is coming now," Kellie said. "Cassy was having a contraction when you rang but she can talk now." She handed the phone to her friend who was now standing next to her.

"Hello Bonnie."

"Cassy, are you all right?" The officer asked, nowhere near as composed as her cousin.

"I'm doing okay," she stated. "But where's Jon? I need him here."

Bonnie could hear the touch of anxiety in her voice. "He's stuck at an accident hon, that's why I'm calling."

"Yeah, I heard about it on the radio. Do you know how long he's gonna be?"

"I'm not sure Cass," she replied honestly. "It was pretty bad out there and there's still a lot to clean up."

"Jon doesn't have to be there for all that, does he?"

"No," Bonnie answered carefully, not wanting to tell her that her husband was right at that moment, underneath a combine harvester comforting a dying woman. "He'll get here as quick as he can, I promise you. What do you want me to tell him?"

Cassy sighed, feeling impatient. She wanted him here, now, but also knew he had a job to do and he was needed out there too. She was coping with everything at the moment and another hour or two wasn't really going to matter. "Tell him not to worry as everything's going along nicely, the contractions are about 25 minutes apart and I'm going to beat the pants off Kellie at Monopoly. And that I love him."

"Monopoly?"

"Yeah," Cassy grinned. "Much better than playing Twister."

"Okay," said Bonnie, puzzled as to why they'd be playing games. "I'll tell him. And Cass, I'll be thinking of you."

"Thanks Bon."

Cassy put the phone down and found her friend glaring at her. "So," Kellie said, hands on hips. "You're going to beat me, are you? We'll see about that."

Laughing Cassy sat down. "Yeah if I can get out of jail before the next contraction you've got no hope."

"Bring it on baby," Kellie giggled and rolled the dice.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Jon, are you okay?" Cathy asked anxiously, squeezing his hand that still had a hold of hers.

He opened his eyes. "Yeah," he smiled. "Just resting my eyes for a minute, it's been a long hot day."

"Yeah," Cathy agreed.

Sitting there under the cover of the harvester, they were shielded from the direct heat of the sun but it was still hot and stuffy. Jon felt like closing his eyes again to have a quick nap but knew he probably wouldn't be able to open them any time soon, so he didn't.

"Would you really like to hear some of the things my partner and I have done?" he asked, knowing that if he kept talking he'd stay awake and it'd help Cathy too.

"Sure, I've never meet a real live Highway Patrolman before and I'd love to hear what you do."

Jon couldn't help but chuckle. "We're usually not this ragged looking, I can assure you."

"I didn't think so."

"What do you wanna hear, the ordinary everyday stuff or something out of the ordinary?"

"Something out of the ordinary," she answered, a small moan escaping from her lips.

Leaning forward he looked closely at her. Her breathing was becoming shallow and he frowned. "Is it starting to hurt again?" Jon asked. He felt the pulse in her wrist, it was faint.

"No, I'm okay," she replied, weaker than before. "Just keep talking to me." She liked the sound of his voice with its soft drawl.

"All right, but you tell me the minute you need relief. Okay?"

Cathy nodded.

Jon thought for a moment, flashes of some of his and Ponch's out of the ordinary adventures ran through his mind. Oh yeah, rescuing Bonnie from the Satin's Angels using micro planes was a good story. He began, going back to 1980.

" _This is the life, isn't it Ponch?" Jon shouted over the noise of the small engine above his head._

" _Sure is partner," Ponch agreed, taking in the view around him._

 _A much needed day off found the partners high above the streets of Los Angeles in their borrowed micro light planes, or motorised kites as Sgt Getraer liked to call them._

 _Jon made a cutting action across his throat, both men hitting the off switch and silence followed. Feeling as free as birds they grinned at one another, enjoying the moment until it was time to pull the cords and start the engines again._

 _Reluctantly they made their descent, landing back where they started from, on a grassy park. Startled, they saw their colleague Artie Grossman riding towards them on his motor._

" _Finally, I've found you," he shouted. "Bonnie's been kidnapped."_

"Who's Bonnie?" Cathy asked, interrupting him.

"One of our female officers," Jon answered. "She's been out here today."

She nodded as he continued.

 _Getting back in uniform they were soon out in the hills of Los Angeles, getting their search coordinates from their sergeant. They took off and searched the hills high and low separately, but there was no sign of her. It was like she'd just vanished._

" _We need information, Ponch," Jon said when they'd met up again. "Bonnie could be right under our noses and we could miss her out here."_

" _True," Ponch agreed. "I need gas and a drink. There's a well known bikers bar not far from here, we'll go ask there."_

 _Walking out of the bar half an hour later, after a very unsatisfying conversation with the local bikers they were no better off. They had to keep looking._

 _Luckily they came across two lone bikers whom were surprised when the partners sprung up out of nowhere behind them, the bikers took off with Jon and Ponch after them. Not getting very far they tried to get away by going up a hill, but ended up flat on their faces with the two officers standing over them._

" _Why were you chasing us?" one asked, being hauled to his feet by Ponch._

" _Why were you running?" Ponch fired back._

" _You're the pigs, man. It's only natural."_

 _No information was gained and transportation called for._

Jon paused, his mouth dry he had a drink of water.

"Your partner seems like he's got a bit of fire in him," Cathy commented.

"Yeah," Jon agreed. He held the bottle to her mouth again. "You could say that. He's one of a kind, is our Ponch."

"That's a strange name."

"Short for Poncherello, Frank Poncherello."

"How long have you been partners?" she asked.

Jon had to think for a minute. "Nearly ten years and friends for longer, we've been through a lot together."

"Sounds like it. What happened next?"

 _Back at the station a plan was being formed. Mouse, one of the bikers was finally talking. Knowing where the bikers were caught they had to work backwards to find where they'd come from. Bear had a friend with a light plane, first thing tomorrow morning he'd go up in the air to take pictures of the surrounding area. The phone rang._

" _Anyone got a spare half a million?" Joe asked his officers when he'd finished the call._

Cathy's eyes opened wide, her voice getting weaker every time she spoke. "They wanted a ransom?"

Jon nodded. "Yeah the fools, the State would never pay a ransom. $500,000 or $50 it wouldn't matter as it wouldn't be paid."

"Oh"

 _Next morning at the station, the photos Bear had taken were being studied. The cabin where Bonnie was being held was not easily accessed as it was surrounded by trees._

 _Jon looked at Ponch. "You thinking, what I'm thinking?" he asked._

" _Yeah, if you're thinking micro light planes, I am"_

 _Joe stared at them. "These motorised kites you two fly?"_

" _Yeah," Jon said as he pointed to one of the photos. "See this flat bit of ground here. We can land there and come in from the rear unannounced."_

 _Bear shook his head. "But that spot can't be more than 100 yards long."_

" _We can land a micro in 30 feet," Jon replied._

" _That's the craziest idea you two have ever come up with," Joe said looking at them like they'd lost their minds._

" _Anyone got a better idea?" Jon asked._

 _They all looked at each other blankly. No ideas were forth coming._

"Jon," Bonnie called out, interrupting the story. "Can you come out here for a minute?"

His heart sank. What was happening at home? With an effort he shifted around so he could crawl out. "I'll be back in a minute," he said to Cathy.

"Promise?" she asked, fearful that he wasn't going to return.

"Promise"

Getting to his feet with a hand over his eyes to cut out the glare, Jon stared at Bonnie, anxiety in his eyes.

"It's okay," Bonnie said quickly, hand on his arm. "Cassy's fine but..."

"But what?" he asked, alarmed.

"She's gone into labour."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"The baby's coming now?" Jon uttered, shocked. He was in conflict. His heart was telling him to go home now, but his head was saying the opposite, that he was needed here.

Bonnie could see the turmoil in his face, underneath all the grime. "Jon, she's fine. The contractions are 25 minutes apart and Kellie's there with her. You've got time to finish what needs to be done here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Cassy understands. She told me to tell you not to worry and that she loves you."

"But Bonnie," he stated. "She's having a baby."

She patted his arm. "Can you in all conscious walk away from here?" she asked softly. Knowing him as well as she did, she knew he couldn't.

He paced around, his mind totally confused. No he couldn't walk away from Cathy now, not when he'd promised he come back. Someone else could stay with her but that didn't sit well with him. But on the other hand this was his child, their first baby, and he couldn't live with himself if he let Cassy down and wasn't there.

"Jon," Bonnie broke into his thoughts. "It'll be hours before the baby's born. The crane is nearly here and they'll be able to start freeing her. You can do what you have to here and still be there for Cassy."

He looked at her agonised. "I'd never met this woman until today, and she's most likely going to die but I can't walk away, I can't. What sort of husband does that make me Bonnie?"

"That makes you the man you are Jon. Caring and compassionate, the man Cassy fell in love with. She wouldn't have you any other way, even now."

He brightened up some as he remembered the birth classes he'd gone to with his wife. "And the contractions are 25 minutes apart?"

She nodded. "Yes. The two of them are playing Monopoly, would you believe?"

Jon smiled. "Monopoly, huh? I wonder if Kellie knows what she's gotten herself into."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked, puzzled.

"Cassy's ruthless. She might look all sweet and innocent but put a Monopoly board in front of her, and she changes. She grows horns and turns into the devil."

Bonnie laughed. "She can't be that bad."

"You ever played with her?"

"Not since we were kids."

"Play with her and then tell me I'm wrong. Ponch is the only one game enough to take her on, but then he cheats so maybe that's why he does."

Bonnie giggled. "Horns, the devil and a cheating Ponch, what a combination."

"Yeah," Jon agreed. "Keep me informed, please Bonnie."

"Yeah of course, she'll be fine."

He glanced around the accident scene before going back to Cathy. Most of the cars had been towed away and all victims had been dealt with. The fencing posts and rolls of wire had been cleared. There was only the semi trailer, harvester and tractor to take away, and Cathy. He sighed. This was so hard, waiting for someone to die and in reality that's exactly what he was doing. Her injuries were so severe that no matter how hard he prayed it would be a miracle if she survived. All they could do for her was to keep her as comfortable as possible.

Jon spoke with the paramedics and rescue crew, and found out that the crane was now ten minutes away, it travelled slowly hence the delay, and as soon as it was in place they'd be lifting the harvester off. Cathy's husband hadn't been contacted yet as they were having trouble finding him. He informed them to her condition and crawled back under.

She opened her eyes when he settled back in. "Hi," she said, weakly.

"Hi", Jon smiled, trying to stay upbeat. He checked her pulse again, and frowned when he found it to be even weaker than before. "The crane is nearly here. It won't be long before it's lifted off."

"That's good," she uttered, only caring that she wasn't alone any more.

"We haven't been able to contact your husband yet," Jon stated, and looked at her closely. She seemed to be distressed. "How's the pain?" he asked.

"Not good," Cathy admitted.

Jon gave her a quick jab in the arm with the needle the paramedic had given him; hopefully it would ease her discomfort shortly.

As the pain eased, Cathy stared at him. He still looked exhausted, still had the same dirt and grime over his face but there was something else, worry in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"Is everything all right out there, Jon?" she inquired.

"Yeah, the freeway is just about cleared up and everyone is on their way to hospital."

"No, I meant with you," she gasped, every word now a struggle to get out.

He stalled, not knowing exactly what to say. He didn't want to tell her about the baby as she didn't need to feel guilty at this point. "Everything's fine," he said finally, not able to look at her eyes.

Cathy didn't know why, but she knew he was lying. Two hours ago she didn't know he existed but now he was the most important person in her life. "Jon," she pleaded. "Please don't lie."

Shocked that she could see into his mind like that, he had to tell her the truth, though not quite all of it. "My wife's having trouble with stomach pains at the present, that's all."

"Oh," she said quietly. She didn't want to think of him having a wife right at this moment. At this point in time, he was hers and hers alone. "Can you finish your story?"

"Sure, now where was I?"

 _Up in the air Jon looked through his binoculars, pointing out the cabin to Ponch who nodded. They cut the motors and landed. Sneaking up to the back of the run down cabin, they were shocked to find there was no back door._

" _What now?" Ponch asked._

" _The chair is open for suggestions," replied Jon._

 _They ran around to the front, surprising the inhabitants with a knock on the door._

" _Is the lady of the house home?" Ponch asked when he spotted Bonnie._

" _Yeah, come on in," she replied, a huge grin on her face when she saw the two of them._

 _A struggle followed with both Jon and Ponch ending up on the floor with one biker while the other one escaped through the window. Ponch gave chase._

 _The biker was quickly onto his bike trying to get away while Ponch followed on the wicked three wheeler bike sitting in the yard, but he struggled with the powerful machine._

 _Jon tied the other biker up, grabbed a piece of rope and ran back to his micro plane, quickly getting back in the air._

 _A chase ensued with Ponch on the three wheeler and Jon in the air. The biker had no chance, especially once Jon, dangling the rope from the plane, hooked it over the bike's handle bar causing him to crash. Ponch was on to him in a flash and it was all over._

"Wow," Cathy responded when Jon had finished. "That was out of the ordinary," she wheezed, struggling for air.

"Try not to speak," he said grasping her hand tightly. "It's going to make it harder to breathe."

She nodded and closed her eyes, she needed to rest, it was all becoming too much to bear.

Jon kept a hold on her hand, knowing she needed some human contact. He wanted so much to close his eyes too, but didn't as he wouldn't be able to open them any time soon. Instead he thought about Cassy, and prayed that she was coping with her labour.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Kellie rolled the dice and groaned. It was a six. She moved her car along the board and prayed that Cassy would have another contraction, but she didn't.

Cassy took out her title deed for Boardwalk, and grinned wickedly at her friend. "With three houses that's $1400 you owe me."

"You're the devil Cassy Baker," Kellie declared, slowly counting her money. She knew she didn't have enough but she wasn't about to let her friend know that.

Cassy laughed. "Funny, that's what Jon calls me too."

"I wonder why?" Kellie uttered, trying to stall. With two brothers she'd played plenty of Monopoly as a kid, but she'd never played anyone as determined as Cassy to win. She was heartless.

"Come on pay up," the mom to be demanded and rubbed her sore back. "I haven't got all day you know."

Kellie glared. "Hold your horses, I'm getting there." Leaning forward she spoke to Cassy's tummy. "Remind me never to play with your mother again, she's mean."

As if that was a cue Cassy groaned her face screwed up in pain, Kellie was quickly by her side and held her hand until it was finished.

"That was worse than the last one, wasn't it?"

Cassy nodded. "Yeah, it was," she admitted, breathing deeply. "But you still owe me $1400."

"Bitch," Kellie said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"How far apart are they now?"

"15 minutes," her friend answered. "You wanna another drink?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice thanks Kell." She watched as Kellie poured a glass of juice, thankful that her friend was here with her but wanting Jon. She was starting to get anxious. Where was he?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"The crane has arrived," a voice called out to Jon. "You'll have to come out while we left it off."

"Cathy," Jon said softly, touching her check gently with two fingers. She opened her eyes. "The crane is here and they're getting ready to lift it off, but I have to get out."

She nodded mutely, terrified.

"I'll be straight back, I promise," he said giving her hand a final squeeze before crawling out.

She nodded again, knowing that he would be back, he hadn't failed her yet.

Jon watched as the crane was backed into place and heavy chains secured to the harvester. He wandered around glad for a chance to stretch his legs. Finding out that Cathy's husband still hadn't been found he was sad for her. Someone you know should be with you in a time like this, not some stranger.

The harvester was slowly lifted up, creaking and squeaking, with care being taken to clear the machinery away from Cathy without any more harm to her. Jon rushed over to her as soon as it was clear.

She blinked, the bright light hurting her eyes. Jon shielded her eyes with his hand until she was used to the sun again. She was so pale, her breathing now very shallow.

The paramedics moved in now able to access her properly, but it didn't look good, her injuries being very severe.

One pulled Jon aside. "She's not going to make it," he said bluntly. "Her injuries are bad."

Jon nodded; he knew this was going to happen. "How long?" he asked.

"Can't say for sure, but I'm guessing that as soon we get the steering wheel off her abdomen, that'll be it. Do you want to stay with her?"

"Yes," Jon answered not hesitating for even a second. He'd been with her for too long to leave now; he just hoped that Cassy was taking her time.

He went back to the car and held her hand. She looked at him and managed a smile, no longer able to talk. The steering wheel was eased off her. Jon squeezed her hand tightly as she took her last breath.

He walked away slowly as they covered her with a sheet, too drained to even cry though he felt like crying a bucketful. He sat on his motor taking a minute before leaving for home.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Cassy had tears in her eyes as she struggled through another contraction. Now 10 minutes apart things had started to hurry up. She squeezed Kellie's hand tightly as she tried to remember her breathing.

"Nearly over," Kellie encouraged, as she watched the second hand on her watch tick around. The contractions were lasting for about 40 seconds, each one getting stronger and they still hadn't heard anything from Jon.

She breathed a sigh of relief as it passed. They'd moved into the living room, taking the fan with them. Kellie having long conceded the monopoly game to the expectant mother.

"Can you help me up?" Cassy asked. "I need to go to the bathroom again."

"Again?" Kelly exclaimed, helping her friend out of the lounge chair.

"Yeah." She headed for the bathroom. Cassy hadn't gotten far, just out to the kitchen when she felt a trickle down her leg. Looking down at the puddle now on the floor around her bare feet she cried out. "Kell, can you come here?"

She hurried into the kitchen, seeing Cassy just standing there with wet shorts, she stared.

"My waters have broken," she explained seeing the shocked look on her friend's face.

"Oh," Kellie said sheepishly. "I thought you'd peed yourself."

"We'll have to leave for the hospital now," Cassy said calmly. "Can you get my bag from our bedroom and the blue dress hanging in the closet, while I go to the bathroom?"

Kellie nodded. She scooted into the bedroom, grabbed the bag and found the dress. She knocked on the bathroom door. "I've got the dress."

"Come in."

Opening the door, Kellie walked in and was momentarily shocked. Cassy was standing there in just her underwear, splashing cold water on her face. "Gee Cass," she finally said. "I didn't realize you were so..."

"Big," Cassy finished for her. "Yeah this is me in all my glory. Why Jon keeps saying I'm beautiful I'll never know."

"Actually I was gonna say round."

"Well that's an improvement on big I guess," she said taking the dress out of Kellie's hands. "Can you give me a hand with this?"

The dress was in place when the next contraction hit. Cassy grabbed the basin and held on tight, breathing deeply until it passed while Kellie rubbed her back. "They're getting worse Kell," she moaned when it was over.

"I know, hon. Think of that beautiful little baby at the end of it."

"I'm trying."

Back in the kitchen, Kellie took a pen and paper from the side cupboard. "We'll have to leave a note for Jon," she explained, writing it out in big, bold black letters that he couldn't possibly miss.

"Oh Kell, where is he?" Cassy questioned. "He should've been home by now."

"He'll be here, I'm sure of it." Kellie finished the note and placed it in the middle of the table. She looked down at the puddle on the floor. "Do you want me to clean that up before we go?"

Cassy sank down on a chair. "Yeah I suppose we should. Jon might come rushing in here, not see it, slip up, hit his head on the table and never get to the hospital. And then where would I be?"

"Umm yeah, I guess that could happen," Kellie agreed while thinking that it was highly unlikely. Poor Cass, her emotions were all over the place. She got the mop and soon had it cleaned up. "There, Jon will be safe and sound now when he gets home."

"Thanks." Cassy got back on her feet and with Kellie's help they headed for the front door.

Kellie opened the door and they both gasped as the hot air crept inside. It was so oppressive. Cassy took a step outside and paused for a moment. Was that the familiar roar of a motor she could hear?

"Finally the cavalry has arrived," Kellie smiled. She squeezed Cassy's hand as Jon at long last made it home.

He parked his motor, clambered off the bike and sprinted towards them. Both women gasped. He was a mess. Dirty, torn uniform and he looked like he hadn't slept for a week.

"I'm so sorry Cass, hon," he apologised as he reached them. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Cassy couldn't respond, she stood there and stared at him, her blue eyes wide with shock.

"She's fine," Kellie answered. "But you don't look so good."

"No, I'm not," he admitted. "But I'll worry about me later."

"Actually I think you'd better worry now, the hospital isn't going to let you in their maternity ward looking like that."

"Am I that bad?" he asked, reaching for his wife.

Cassy still speechless, recoiled when he touched her arm. It just wasn't him and he smelt awful too.

"Come on," Kellie urged. "You've got time to have a shower and clean up. The baby can wait."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "You don't want to frighten your new son or daughter, do you?"

"No, I guess not," Jon agreed. He staggered inside. It wasn't meant to be like this, so damn tired that he could sleep for a week. It should be the happiest day of their life together, not a day where she seemed to be afraid to even touch him.

He managed to get to the bathroom, stripped his filthy uniform off and left it on the floor, something he would normally never do. With the taps on full force he stepped under the shower, allowing the water to cascade over his weary body. He washed his hair not once but twice to get it clean and he was starting to feel human again.

Jon stepped out of the shower; he towel dried his hair and peered in the mirror. He still looked tired but not as bad as before and he certainly felt better. Remembering that Kellie was in the house Jon wrapped a towel around him before heading for the bedroom, where he glanced at the bed and sighed, he so wanted to curl up and sleep. He pulled jeans out of his drawer and a shirt from the closet, quickly dressed and headed towards the kitchen, remembering he hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning.

He grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl on the kitchen bench, peeled it and had it eaten by the time he put the skin in the trash bin. Jon reached for an apple next but stopped upon hearing Cassy in the living room cry out in pain. He rushed in.

Kellie moved aside, allowing Jon to sit next to his wife. He held her hand and rubbed her back, encouraging her to breathe properly. "Remember your breathing Cass, nice and deep," he cooed.

Contraction over she sank back into his arms and he hugged her tightly. "I'm here now, hon," he murmured in her ear. "You ready to go have this baby?"

She nodded and breathed in the smell of him. Soap and freshly washed hair, yes he was here and she was ready, as ready as she'd ever be.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

Ponch walked out of the court room disgruntled, what a damn waste today turned out to be. He'd sat in court all day and in the end wasn't even needed. Worse still he'd have to do it all over again tomorrow. At least maybe tomorrow Jon might be able to sit with him, he'd been so bored. Wonder what sort of day his partner had today? Probably a nice quiet one Ponch thought grinning to himself, without me around to natter at him all day.

He walked out of the building; the heat was like a slap in the face. Now 4pm in the afternoon, it was still hot and probably would be all night. Maybe the day in the cool court room wasn't so bad after all.

Ponch headed back to Central, there was enough time to help Jon out and do a few reports. He chuckled, actually they were his reports but he liked to think he was helping once in a while by doing them.

He parked and noted that Jon's motor wasn't there. Unusual, they were always back by this time so they could get their paperwork done. Maybe Jon didn't have such a quiet day after all.

As he strolled down the corridor in no hurry to be anywhere Ponch spotted his sergeant. "Hey Sarge," he called out. "You don't happen to know where Jon is, do you."

Joe put his hand to his forehead in horror. He'd ended up in meetings all afternoon with the captain and lieutenant, forgetting that he'd told Cassy he'd make sure that Jon made it home. "I'm not sure Frank, he was out on the 405 dealing with that accident but I was supposed to make sure he went home. He should be home or maybe at the hospital by now."

"The hospital... home? What's wrong with him?" Ponch asked, both confused and worried.

Joe patted him on the shoulder as he walked off. "Nothing Frank, he's just about to become a father, that's all."

Ponch stared after him. "You mean the baby's on its way."

Joe nodded. "Yes Frank."

Ponch stood there for a moment, stunned, and then he remembered Grossie's baby pool and the conversation from earlier that morning. _"Okay Grossie, you win. What's left?"_

" _Actually less than I thought. You've got today with either girl or boy or two weeks past D day with a boy."_

" _Seeing my partner is so sure it's a boy I'll take the girl."_

With a huge grin on his face Ponch headed off to find Grossie. He found him a few minutes later in the reports room, along with Bear, Bonnie and Jeb Turner.

"Hi Grossie," he grinned.

"Hi Ponch, what are you after?" he asked wearily. It'd been a long, hot day and he wasn't about to take any crap from him.

"Nothing Grossie, I was just wondering if you managed to get rid of the last two tickets in the baby pool."

"One of the secretaries took the one two weeks past D day but no one wanted the one for today."

"I'll take it," Bonnie said quickly, realizing what Ponch was up to.

"You don't have to do that. I'll take it off your hands Grossie for double its worth."

"I'll give you five dollars for it," Bonnie fired back.

"Ten"

"Fifteen"

"Twenty"

Grossie sat back and rubbed his hands, a smug smile on his face. "I'm asserting that you two know something that the rest of us haven't heard about yet, and deducting that your esteemed partner is not here amongst us at this precise moment, I'm concluding that one junior Baker has arrived or he or she is on the way."

"Is that true?" asked Bear.

"Yeah, the Sarge told me just five minutes ago that the baby was coming."

"And I heard it from Cassy earlier this afternoon," added Bonnie.

"So what do you say Grossie. Will you take a twenty for it?" asked Ponch.

"Which ticket are we talking about here," asked Jeb, interested in the proceedings.

"The ticket for today," Ponch said. "For a boy," he added quickly.

"Who's got the one for a girl?" Bear wanted to know.

Ponch and Grossie looked at one another and grinned. "Jon," they answered together.

Bear laughed. "You finally got Jon to take a ticket and he's got today. Now that's karma for ya."

"Yeah, but he hasn't won yet Bear."

"True," he agreed. "The baby could still be born tomorrow."

"I hope not," Bonnie groaned. "For Cassy's sake."

"Yeah I hope so too, but remember people Jon's only got the ticket for the _girl_ not both of them," explained Ponch. "Now Grossie are you gonna take twenty for that ticket or not?"

"Any higher bids?" he asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "Nah, I'm done."

"Going, going, gone." Grossie banged his hand down on the table. "It's all yours Ponch and that brings the pool up to a cool seventy-six dollars."

Ponch grinned. What a nice easy way to make a little extra money, enough to take Kellie out for a nice romantic dinner somewhere.

"What makes you so sure that it's gonna be a boy?" asked Jeb seeing the smug look on Ponch's face.

"I just know, all right?"

"Yeah okay"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Jon was annoyed; no he was closer to angry. Waiting at administration to check Cassy in to hospital, the young male clerk with the big red pimple in the middle of his forehead, and geeky glasses was taking his damn time.

"Look," Jon said through gritted teeth. "Cassandra Baker, thirty-one years of age, birth date May 30th 1955 and address five Holgate Place Highland Park. She needs to be admitted, now."

He shuffled through the papers in front of him and finally found the one he wanted. He pushed his thick black rimmed glasses back on his face and looked at Jon. "Oh yeah, here it is, Cassandra Baker." He skimmed the form. "But she's not meant to be here for another two weeks."

Jon took a deep breath as he mentally counted to ten or at least to five. His blue eyes penetrated deep into the clerk's soul, so deep the clerk actually flinched. "Yeah well you tell that to the baby, she's here now," he growled.

"Yeah, okay," the clerk replied as he read further down the form. Coming across the occupation of the husband, he looked at Jon again and muttered. "Yeah you can go through."

"Thank you."

"Gosh," he mumbled to on one in particular. "Some people, I'd hate to run across him on the freeway."

They headed for the maternity wing of the hospital, Cassy in a wheelchair being pushed by Kellie with Jon holding her bag.

They arrived at the nurse's station. Kellie gave Cassy a hug and kissed her cheek. "Good luck, hon. I'll be here waiting for you." She turned to Jon. "I'm going home to change, and I'll get Frank to bring your truck back." She kissed his cheek and touched his arm. "Good luck."

"Thanks, and Kellie... thanks for everything today." Jon said.

She smiled, her hazel eyes twinkling warmly. "My pleasure."

Cassy was ushered through to an examination room where she was accessed. Blood pressure was taken and a baby monitor strapped to her stomach. Everything looked good.

She gasped as another contraction hit. They were now coming every five minutes, lasting for close to a minute, and God they hurt. Clasping Jon's hand so hard she actually hurt him, she struggled to remember her breathing.

"Breathe Cass," Jon urged. "Nice and deep."

She glared at him. "Don't tell me to breathe, it hurts too damn much to breathe," she growled when she could speak again.

"I know hon, but you're doing fine. Isn't she doctor?" Jon asked worried by the amount of pain she was in.

The female doctor checking the monitor looked up. "Yes, you're going along nicely."

"Can you give her something for the pain?"

"All in good time, we need to see how far along she is first," she replied as she slipped gloves on and pushed Cassy's knees apart to examine her.

Jon looked horrified. "Do you want me to leave the room?" he asked.

The doctor glanced up. "No, you're fine where you are. Squeamish are we?" She held back a smile. Most first time fathers were like this. Perfectly okay with holding their partner's hand and telling them to breathe, but when it came to the business end of things they fell to pieces.

"No," he answered honestly and he wasn't. He wouldn't be able to do his job if he was, but things were getting just a bit personal down that end of the table. It was one thing to be exploring down there yourself but another thing to see someone else poking around.

Cassy sucked in her breath and looked up at Jon as the doctor finished. "Its okay hon, you'll be seeing a lot more of me down there by the time this is finished."

"I know," he uttered, a small sigh escaping his lips. While he had actually delivered a baby or two, this was becoming overwhelming seeing Cassy in pain like she was. The beeps of the monitor played on his nerves, aggravating him after the day he'd had today. But he couldn't think about him right at this point, Cassy needed him to be alert and focused on her. He squared his shoulders and pushed away the fatigue that threatened to overcome him.

The doctor removed her gloves. "It's all good, you're just on seven centimetres dilated and the baby's head is in the right place."

Cassy smiled. "That's a relief. How much longer do you think?"

"Hard to say," the doctor answered. "Another couple of hour's maybe, but you'll have your baby today unless I'm badly mistaken. I'll send the midwife in and she'll get you settled in the delivery room."

Cassy put her head back on the pillows she was propped up against. "My God." She squeezed Jon's hand. "We're going to meet our baby in just a few hours, I can't wait you know."

Gazing at his wife's tired but excited face, Jon realized he felt the same way. While not expecting this to be happening today, he was ready for it now. "I know Cass, I know," he said, his blue eyes beginning to regain some of the sparkle they'd lost during the day.

The next contraction hit and Cassy forgot all about the joy of meeting the baby in the midst of the pain. She sunk back on the pillows when it was over, trying to focus on the baby, her baby, their baby but it was hard, so very hard.

The midwife breezed in, a small petite woman with glossy red hair pulled back in a bun, and a huge smile on her face. "How are we today?" she asked taking a quick glance at Cassy's chart. "Two weeks early, bet that was a bit of a surprise, wasn't it?"

Cassy nodded.

"Right Cassandra, I'm Glenda and here's what we're going to do. Move you down the hall to one of our delivery rooms, where you'll have your baby just like that. Sounds easy doesn't it?" She unplugged the monitor from around Cassy, barely pausing for a breath. "Well maybe not quite that easy, but I'll be with you every step of the way so you've got nothing to worry about." She chattered on nonstop but Jon and Cassy both liked her, she was like a breath of fresh air.

Back in the wheelchair Cassy was wheeled down to the delivery room just in time for the next contraction. When it was over Glenda looked at her closely. "That was bad, wasn't it Cassandra?"

"Yeah it was and please call me Cassy and that's Jon."

"No problem." She walked over to a cupboard, opened it up to reveal a portable gas bottle and mask, along with other associated medical equipment. She took out the bottle. "Next contraction we'll try this and see how it goes. It'll give you some relief but not everyone likes it."

They helped Cassy out of the wheelchair so she could walk around for a bit and get settled in.

Glenda brought the gas over and held it to Cassy's mouth when the next contraction hit. She breathed in deeply; it took the edge off the pain and helped some.

"Any better?" Glenda asked.

"Some." Cassy nodded and walked around again. The movement helped as much as anything, Jon wiped her face with a damp face cloth.

Glenda smiled. "Good, you're doing well, you both are. This baby will be here before you know it."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

Kellie arrived back at the hospital about an hour later. She'd changed into a tee shirt and three quarter length pants, as she felt that a tank top and denim shorts weren't suitable hospital wear. Ponch was with her having come over in Jon's truck.

They made themselves comfortable in the waiting room. Sitting side by side on the rather stiff chairs they relaxed and chatted about the day they'd each had.

"Bet this wasn't how you planned your day off," remarked Ponch, opening the ding dong he'd gotten out of the vending machine.

"No," agreed Kellie. "But it's been good, except for Cassy beating me at Monopoly. She was mean."

"You have to cheat when you play her, remind me one day to tell you all my secrets."

"Yeah I will." She nodded, not at all surprised that he cheated, he was sneaky at times. "Today has got me thinking though."

"Yeah, about what?"

"Having kids," she answered, looking into his dark eyes to gage his reaction.

"And?" he prompted before biting into his ding dong. If he was surprised or shocked by her remark he certainly didn't show it.

"I think I'd like to have them sooner than I once thought, maybe in the next year or two."

He smiled and grasped her hand. "That sounds good, I'd like that."

Kellie looked at him surprised. "That doesn't make you want to go running for the hills?"

"No"

A sudden chill came over her, was he really committing to her? "You really mean that? You're not agreeing with me just to keep the peace or something?"

"Yes I really mean it. Kellie I'm thirty-three years old and I'm ready to settle down, and I can see children in my future, our future and I love you."

"Oh Frank, that means so much to me." A tear formed in her eye. "I love you too," she whispered.

He slid his arm around the back of her chair and kissed the top of her head. "A wise man once told me to hang on to you, and that's exactly what I intend to do."

She smiled. "Let me guess, Jon?"

"Yeah"

"You should have seen him today Frank, he was absolutely worn out when he got home."

"Gosh, it's going to be a long day for him then, he looked tired this morning. Cassy had been tossing and turning all night apparently."

"It'll be a big day for both of them."

"Yeah"

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Now in the final stages of labour Cassy was screaming in pain, and Jon was distraught.

"Can't you give her something stronger?" He pleaded with the midwife and wiped Cassy's brow again.

Glenda looked up from her examination. "No, she's ready to push now. Cassy on the next contraction if you feel like pushing you can."

Cassy nodded from her position on the bed. She'd ended up there after trying several different spots, none of which she found comfortable. Jon was kneeling on the bed behind her supporting her body with his, his arms around her where she was clinging to him, so tightly that she was leaving marks on him.

Screaming, a frightening sound that Jon had never heard before, Cassy pushed.

"I can see the head," informed Glenda.

Cassy pushed again.

"The head's out. Take it easy Cassy, the next one and your baby is here."

Jon stared at the baby's head and all the blood. There was so much blood.

Another push and the baby were born, Jon felt Cassy slump against him with the relief that it was over. They heard a cry and Glenda placed the baby on Cassy's stomach still with the cord attached.

"There she is," the midwife smiled. "Your new daughter."

Cassy held her close, gently touching her newborn daughter's soft skin. "Oh God," she cried, tears sliding down her face. "She's so tiny."

Jon pulled Cassy close with one hand; he reached around with the other and ever so lightly brushed his fingers over his daughter's head. "Oh Cass," he uttered. "She's beautiful." The conflicting emotions of the day were finally too much; he lowered his head into his wife's hair and wept.

Squeezing his hand in support Cassy gave him a minute to calm himself. She knew he'd had a rough day today, but until now hadn't realized how much. "Hey," she said softly. "You okay?"

He lifted his head, looked at her and smiled, his eyes filled with tears. "Yeah I'm fine, just a bit over whelmed.

"Would you like to cut the cord Jon?" Glenda asked busy doing what needed to be done.

He nodded and slid out from under Cassy. Taking the scissors from her he cut through the cord surprised at how tough it was. Amy the second midwife took the baby away to be weighed and checked over, bringing her back a short time later snugly wrapped in a baby blanket.

"She's perfect," Amy smiled. "7lb 10oz and everything's where it should be." She stepped towards Jon and held the baby out. "Care to hold your new daughter?"

Jon gingerly held her; staring at her he was speechless. She was so small, so perfect and so precious. Her eyes open he saw that they were blue, the only colour they could be, she had a soft covering of hair over her head and the tiniest little fingers he had ever seen. He sat down on one of the chairs, held her close and stared, amazed that he'd help create something so beautiful.

Cassy smiled as she watched him holding their daughter. She'd never seen him speechless like that before and it warmed her heart like nothing ever had. He was her rock, her lover and friend all rolled into one and now he was a father, and she knew he'd be a good one.

She grimaced, feeling another pain as the afterbirth passed.

Glenda looked up at her. "Nearly over Cassy, a few stitches needed and you'll be done. You should be proud of yourself, you've done a mighty fine job here tonight."

Cassy closed her eyes, she was tired so very tired, but Glenda was right she was proud of herself. After all the pain, all the tears and all the screams, she'd triumphed in the end. She'd had a baby and nothing she'd ever accomplished in her life before could beat the way she feeling at that moment.

Stitched up and helped into the shower Cassy was soon back on the bed, while not exactly feeling like a new woman, she certainly felt a lot fresher. The midwives left them alone for a while before Cassy would be taken to her room.

Jon handed her the baby, he settled down beside her and kissed her gently. "You did it hon," he said softly. "I'm so proud of you."

"We did it," she corrected him. "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" Cassy gushed as she stared at the tiny bundle in her arms.

"No," Jon answered. "Not since I met her mother."

"Don't go getting all mushy on me now," she grinned.

"Me? Never."

"Yeah you, you're the biggest mush I know, but I'll let you get away with it today."

He smiled. "We'd better decide on a name now that she's here."

"Yeah," Cassy agreed. "We can't keep calling her she."

"Do you still like Catherine?" Jon asked, as he gently touched his daughter's cheek. Her eyes were now closed.

"Yeah I do," she replied, surprised. "I didn't think you were keen on it after my obsessing with those books this past year." Flowers in the Attic and the concluding books were her favourites. She loved the characters of Cathy and Chris, and while Jon had been happy with Christopher as a boy's name he wasn't so keen on Catherine or Cathy.

"I met someone today," he said softly. "And her name was Catherine and I'd like to name the baby after her, if you don't mind."

"She died in that accident didn't she?" Cassy held his hand tightly, feeling him tremble.

"Yeah she did. I stayed with her and she was so brave. I know it's a lot to ask, and if you don't want to, I understand."

Cassy thought for a moment. She loved the name but wasn't so sure about giving it to their new baby. "Did she go by the full name?" she asked.

"No, she called herself Cathy, but I was thinking of another version, Katie."

Cassy smiled. "I like that, and Catherine does go nicely with Maree." Maree had been chosen as the second name months ago.

"You're sure?"

"It's perfect, but with a K," Cassy added. "We can't have two C Bakers in the family."

"Fair enough," Jon said with a smile. "Katherine Maree Baker it is then."

As if to agree with them, Katie opened her eyes briefly before closing them again, quite content to rest snugly in her mother's arms.

Cassy snuggled up close to Jon, his arm around her shoulders. "This has been some day, hasn't it?" she sighed, content with life at the moment but exhausted.

"Yeah," Jon agreed kissing the top of her head. "It's been a day like no other, that's for sure." He'd witnessed both ends of the spectrum, life and death, and now that it was over he was drained both mentally and physically, and hungry too as his tummy growled.

Feeling the rather large rumble coming from her husband, Cassy looked up at him, concerned. "When did you last eat?"

"I had a banana when I got home today," he remembered.

"Did you have lunch?"

"No, I don't think so," he answered vaguely, the earlier parts of the day now a hazy blur in his memory, seeming like a life time ago.

"Jon," Cassy scolded. "You'd better go get something to eat."

"I can wait," he said as he gazed at the precious bundle in his wife's arms. "Moments like those don't come along every day."

"They sure don't," she agreed.

They had another ten minutes alone, just the three of them before Glenda came back.

"Sorry folks," she smiled. "It's time to head to your room." She leaned over Katie and had a peep. "You got a name for her?" she asked.

"Katherine Maree," Cassy said proudly. "But we're going to call her Katie."

"Lovely," Glenda said, and moved a portable crib closer. "Well come on Miss Katie, time to move on and it'll be feed time for you as well." Taking Katie from her mother, the midwife placed her in the crib and checked that she was properly covered up.

Jon helped Cassy to her feet and looked around for a wheelchair. "Should we get the wheelchair?" he asked anxiously.

"Are you up to walking?" Glenda asked Cassy.

"Yeah, I think so," Cassy replied. Her legs were a bit shaky, she was certainly sore but she could walk.

"Good," said Glenda, all business. "The sooner you're on your feet the better. This baby isn't going to look after herself you know."

Cassy smiled. While Glenda sounded tough, she was thorough and Cassy respected her for it. She'd been wonderful throughout the labour.

Moving slowly, with Jon's help, Cassy was soon in her room. Katie slept soundly, not a peep out of her.

"Are you planning to breastfeed?" Glenda asked. Straight to the point she wasn't one for beating around the bush.

"Yeah, if I can," Cassy replied, gingerly sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Good girl," Glenda said, happy. "So many women these days can't be bothered with it, yet it's the best thing for baby. Well, let's give it a go shall we?"

"Now?" Cassy exclaimed, somewhat shocked. "But Katie's asleep."

"No problem, we'll just wake her and see if she's interested."

Jon looked at his watch, just after 9pm though he thought it was much later. He kissed Cassy on the cheek; it was still early enough to make some phone calls to their families in Utah and Wyoming.

"You'd better go check the waiting room, hon. Didn't Kellie say she was going to wait?"

"Yeah, she did. Are you up for visitors if they're there? They'll wanna come up, you know," Jon said. "That's if it's allowed," he added quickly, seeing the frown on Glenda's face.

"Who are we talking about?" she asked.

"Katie's God parents," Cassy answered. They hadn't been asked yet but Jon and Cassy knew of no one else they'd trust as much as Ponch and Kellie.

"Ten minutes," Glenda declared. "And not a minute more."

"Thanks," Jon smiled, and left them to it.

He bypassed the waiting room, going to the pay phones first to make his calls. He called Cassy's family in Utah first, spoke to her mom and then called Wyoming where he told his sister. Both women were ecstatic, Katie was the first grandchild on Cassy's side and the fourth on Jon's but the first girl. An afterthought Jon also phoned his sergeant, telling Joe not to expect him in tomorrow.

Seeing a vending machine, he dug around in his pocket for more change. With a coffee and blueberry muffin in hand he headed for the waiting room. Not really expecting Ponch and Kellie to be there, Jon was surprised to find that they were.

Jon sat next to Ponch and chuckled to himself. His partner was asleep in the chair, head back, mouth slightly open and snoring. Kellie was a little more refined, sleeping with her head resting on her hand without the snoring.

The smell of Jon's coffee and muffin crept into Ponch's nose and woke him. He shook his head slightly and looked at his partner. "Hi Jon," he said with a yawn.

"Hi Ponch."

"What's happening?" he asked, not completely with it at the moment.

"Not much," Jon said. He took a large bite of his muffin. God that tasted good. "Though we did just have a baby," he added.

"That's nice."

"Yeah," he waited for Ponch to register.

It took a few seconds but finally he did. His eyes opened wide and he stared at his partner sitting there calmly drinking his coffee. "You did say you'd just had a baby, didn't you?"

"Yeah, about an hour ago."

His face lit up in one of his usual 1000 watt grins. "Oh wow Jon, that's great." He clapped him on the shoulder and shook his hand at the same time. "Congratulations."

"Thanks."

Ponch turned and gently prodded Kellie awake. "Wake up Kell," he said, quite excited. "The baby's here."

Kellie stirred; she sat up straight and looked at the two men. Ponch with a huge grin on his face and Jon looking quite pleased with himself. "Oh Jon, that's wonderful. How's Cassy?"

"She's doing well; they've been moved out of the delivery room into another room. Oh Kellie, you should see her, she's so tiny and so perfect."

The smile on Ponch's face faded. "Hang on Jon," he said. "Did you just say she?"

"Yeah Ponch, we had a daughter. Didn't I mention that? 7lb 10oz and everything's where it should be."

"But you were meant to have a boy," Ponch uttered, disheartened.

Kellie scowled. "Ah Frank you idiot. You don't always get what you want, ya know. Can we go see them?"

"Yeah, Glenda said you could have ten minutes." Jon stood up shaking his head at the look on his partner's face. Ponch looked like he'd lost a quarter and found a penny. He patted him on the shoulder. "Come and meet her, she mightn't seem so bad."

"Oh Jon, I didn't mean it like that, really I didn't."

"I know, I realize that you had your heart set on a boy, but just wait till you see her," Jon said, quietly confident that once his partner laid eyes on Katie he'd be besotted with her too.

As they headed for Cassy's room, Ponch felt bad that he reacted like that. He'd ever once contemplated that they'd have a girl, so confident that it was going to be a boy. He didn't really know why he was set on a boy, he guessed it was the visions he had of the three of them playing ball, motor bike riding, watching sport on TV and manly things like that. A boy wouldn't alter his friendship with Jon as much as he thought a girl would. He certainly hadn't meant to hurt his feelings.

Glenda was just coming out of the room as they arrived. Standing in front of the door she was formidable, even though she was just a touch over five feet tall. "Ten minutes and not a minute more," she warned.

"Who was that?" Ponch whispered.

"Glenda, the midwife," Jon smiled. "Don't worry; her bark is worse than her bite."

Jon opened the door and they went inside. Cassy was tucked up in bed, eyes closed and Katie was in the crib beside her. Upon hearing them enter the new mother's eyelids fluttered open; she smiled proudly a look of triumph in her eyes.

Kellie immediately went to her side and gave her a big hug. "Oh Cass, you did it." She turned her head to look at Katie and gasped. "Gosh, she's beautiful. Look Frank, isn't she lovely?"

Ponch stood next to her and together they stared at the tiny bundle lying peacefully in the crib, and for once in his life Ponch was lost for words. He turned to his partner, a tear in his eye, and had no trouble admitting he'd made a mistake. "She's perfect Jon, absolutely perfect." He leant over and kissed Cassy on the cheek. "Congratulations sweetie, she's a little gem."

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Kellie asked as she settled on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah we have," Cassy answered. "She's Katherine Maree Baker or Katie to her friends."

Kellie was stunned. "You named her after me? I'm... I'm... lost for words."

Cassy reached for her hand. "If it wasn't for you Kell, she might not be here now."

"I really didn't do that much."

"No? You only clobbered that man and got me out of there in the nick of time, that's all."

Knowing that Jon didn't like to dwell on the time they all went camping back in April, Ponch quickly changed the subject. He turned to the girls and grinned. "Bet you'll never guess who won Grossie's baby pool today?"

Kellie shook her head. "Well I know it wasn't me, I had you down for a week overdue Cass."

"And it wasn't me," Ponch said with a grin towards his partner. "I only took boys."

Cassy looked over at Jon who had a very smug look on his face. "Don't tell me you won it?" she said, surprised. "You who swore black and blue that you weren't going to have a ticket in it."

"Yep," Ponch answered for him. "Grossie finally wore him down today."

"I was in a weakened state Cass; I just had to shut him up."

She giggled. "How much did you win?"

Jon shrugged his shoulders. "About fifty dollars or so I guess. This was one of his bigger pools."

"Seventy-six dollars to be precise," declared Ponch.

"Wow that much huh? I didn't think he had that many tickets going."

"He didn't," Ponch admitted. "I brought the last ticket today... for twenty bucks."

Jon chuckled. "Oh Ponch, you didn't did ya?"

"Yep"

Jon looked down at his daughter and smiled. "Well little missy, you've won your father a nice little sum of money today, haven't you?"

Katie didn't stir.

Ponch bent down and gave Cassy another kiss. "We'd better go and let you get some rest. We'll come back tomorrow." He reached in his pocket. "Oh Jon, I nearly forgot. Here are the keys for your truck. It's parked near the side entrance."

They stepped out into the corridor. "I guess you won't be meeting me tomorrow morning," Ponch said, as he reached for Kellie's hand.

"Ah, no," Jon shook his head.

"You've done well partner, Katie's lovely."

"Thanks."

He headed off but stopped and turned a few steps later. "Oh Jon, in case I forget happy birthday for tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Going back to his family, Jon had completely forgotten that it was his birthday tomorrow. Thirty-five he'd be and in all those years he'd never received a better present than the one he got today.

Cassy had her eyes closed again. He kissed her softly. "It's time for me to go home sweet-heart, but I'll be back first thing in the morning."

Upon opening her eyes, Cassy realized that he looked as tired as she felt. "Don't rush back hon, we'll be fine. Sleep in; you've had a big day too."

He smiled. "I might just do that." He felt like he could sleep for a week.

Jon kissed his wife again and then his daughter and walked away. He paused at the door and turned for one last look. Cassy had closed her eyes and by the even rise and fall of her chest he guessed she was already asleep. Next to her Katie slept on. He felt extremely blessed. This was a day to remember, a day like no other.

The End.

If you enjoyed this story, or if you didn't let me know. Writers need feedback, good or bad to improve their writing so please take a minute and leave a review.

Thanks to Ponchygirl, KoffeeKat and Suzyq73 for taking the time to review and for your PMs, it has meant a lot.


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